Never Trust A Republican
Remember Reagan�s second term? Remember that �trickle-down� economic theory? Simplistically, we were told that if the government enacted programs that benefited the wealthy, the wealthy would in turn �trickle down� their largesse to the middle class; more businesses would expand, more jobs would be created, and everyone would benefit.I bought into that theory. Card-carrying Democrat that I am, I decided maybe it was time to listen to rich conservatives. �What the hell,� I said, �The important thing is jobs, and if giving tax incentives and other economic breaks to big business results in benefits for everybody, who am I to fault the plan? So what if the rich get richer? They can�t get any snobbier and exclusionary than they are, can they?�
Every time I try to compromise my liberal ethic, every time I listen to the economic doubletalk of somebody living on a fake farm in Somerset County, I get burned big time. Reagan got my vote, we got trickle-down, and the only problem was the money for the middle class somehow disappeared. The business �expansion� turned out to be Caribbean resorts and cruise lines, and the jobs became entry-level burger flippers for fast-food consortiums. Franchises that were once a great opportunity for the middle class to get a leg up into the Hamptons have now become the purview of stock brokers and bankers. McDonald�s is one of the few successful franchise operations that still cater to individuals (not partnerships and passive investors), but the average franchise buy-in starts at $175,000! Trickle down, indeed. Money just went from one pocket to another in the same pair of trousers.
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